[PKMN FULL] The Age of Heroes [IC]

[Ray Maverick]

Tsulong

"Barrier, eh?" Lord Zeke rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking at the starry sky, then over at his Lucario friend. "Joseph. Help this Froslass with her barrier."

"I am sorry, my lord, but my aid alone will not suffice," Joseph the Argent Healer said. "If the Alakazam here was to lend us his powers, all would be swell."

The Lucario threw Reginard a hopeful look, and Tsulong leaned to him to whisper. "Focus, please. We're here for the Grass Plate. Nothing else matters. Just help them out in this small task." His voice got loud again as he faced Lord Zeke. "We ought to strike now that they are in distress."

"I suggest we move out immediately," Howland added, and Lord Zeke nodded and got up, turning to face Grandmother Cybella.

"Grandmother," he started, "this day, or rather night, we'll make the Brotherhood proud. Arceus watch over us, and protect us."

"Arceus watch over us, and protect us," the members of the Brotherhood said with scattered, low voices.

***
Time Skip, 2 hours later: Place of the Ambush
Howland

The forest around was silent. Howland had gotten used to it, now that the birds and wild Pokemon had ceased appearing. They all were hiding in the massive bushes, among the monstrous trees of Duskwood that had grown supernaturally thanks to the Grass Plate that was hidden in the forest. Howland and the rest of the heroes, save Reginard, Loria, Tsulong and Pierce were bundled up in one place, waiting for the Cyalans to come through. Tsulong had gone off to lure them with a flame in the night, like he said. Just gotta hope that works, Howland thought to himself. Pierce had disappeared without sharing anything with them whatsoever, only grinning lightly and saying, don't drink from the river.

The Brotherhood had already killed a few scouts and shot down airborne ones; it was dark, now, as the trees didn't allow the moonlight to fall on the ground. The Crimson Company was left blind; it was the perfect time to strike. Lord Zeke and a few of his men had positioned themselves on the other side of the bushes. More groups of the Brotherhood were hiding either up in the trees, or down amongst the bushes, in a V formation that would catch and crush the Cyalans like Carnivine when it clamps down its prey.

Howland was gripping his scythehook tightly, flipping it occasionally as a habit he'd gotten from holding it warily, knowing that battle followed. On his other hand, he was holding his small dirk that did a better job than his claws. Sometimes, what Pierce had said circled his mind. Don't drink from the river. Why not?

Chewing on a small stick, he looked over to the newcomer of the group, the Hitmonchan, namely Jackson the Dark Brawler. He didn't seem like a shady fellow to Howland. The Sceptile could easily get along with such people. "The name's Howland." He pointed at Guardian, the massive Golurk who was standing behind a tree's trunk immovable; in the dark, he could pass as a tree himself. "That's Guardian, I think, Elder Durand's assistant."

Then he looked over at the other heroes. None of them were familiar, except the Dewott, whom Howland knew as the Wanderer, and Roscoe, whom he had met earlier that evening. "And your names are?" he asked politely, hoping to break the tension and relieve the anticipation with some chat, until the enemies arrived.

Pierce
​

The Gengar rummaged through the giant leaves of the trees, flying high above the ground. He sometimes passed right through the fat trunks, too absent minded to bother avoiding them. Pierce was in a state of intense thought, a plan formulating in his mind, to save the people of the Brotherhood, who were mostly incompetent in diplomacy and politics.

Was it possible to face four thousand mercenaries with just a seven hundred rogues and a bunch of heroes? It wasn't. No, it wasn't. Even if the element of disarray from the death of their leader, Edward, was to be counted into the equation; with Pierce's calculations, there was small chance that the Brotherhood would prevail. Pierce was a perfectionist. He wanted everything to go according to plan, with no chance of failure. Tsulong liked to be optimistic about the odds of this war the King had started, but Pierce would rather be a realist. Sure, a claw or flames or ice could take lives. But the wielder of the right words and ideas, such as Pierce, could work wonders...

He reached for the sky, looking over the forest, feeling at home. This forest is the place he haunted when he was small. It taught him many things... it taught him to work in the shadows, rather in the light, as the cursed forest had many shadows. And that's what he was doing right now. He was to travel to the northwest, to the base of the river in the mountains, that flowed towards the east rapidly.

Through the mist, he could see the camp of the Cyalans. Or rather, feel it... so many souls gathered in one place, it seemed like a treat to a ghost like him. And it was night, some of them were sleeping... He would certainly have to drop by and eat their dreams, sometime later. Now he had a job to do, as he had agreed with Lord Zeke. And indeed as he agreed with Lord Zeke, he found some Pokemon by the river that separated Westfall and Duskwood.

"Hello," he greeted them with a mischievous smile. He noticed they weren't all toxic types as he had requested, but Lord Zeke had seen to it that they all would do their job correctly. They were about twenty Pokemon, shady and vicious characters that could only belong to the Brotherhood.

"Oi," said a Toxicroak with a Pidgey on his head, "you Pierce?"

"Who else? Let's get to work, gents," he said, almost in a charming manner, "time is money."

"Aye, we don't need no money here," a Graveller said, "we're the Brotherhood."

"Sure," the Cunning Shadow grinned at him. "Now. Do all of you know how to use Toxic? Perfect. Shed your poison to the river with me. I hope your friends have been warned, not to drink?"

"Aye, we ain't fools."

"Just making sure."

The river was soon full of poison that flew to the direction of the Cyalan camp. Pierce stared at the night, his red eyes piercing right through it, having a strong sense of satisfaction within him, even though that was only step one of his plan to save this accursed Brotherhood. The Crimson Company will drink the river dry... He showed his sharp teeth at the camp. I deserve Lord Zeke's title. Pierce, the Ruthless... hmm, not. That would be bad for business.
​

 

[Trev]

Loria &

Reginard / The Forest's Heart

Reginard was already feeling irritable by this point. Not only had the others publically supported these cultists, but they were more than happy to even protect them! If Durand was here the Alakazam was more than sure that he would have sided with him and just let these two volatile forces go at each other to get rid of them both. As far as he saw it, they were both a blight on this world. Not only that but two new members to their group came into the forest. How they were not caught by the soldiers eluded Reginard's mind, but that was the least of his worries.

His head just pounded so much! He would have to make sure to find a place to meditate once this was done, but with these two newcomers came more ideas. The talks of barriers and heading out to strike at the enemy. Too many variables would eventually lead to a disaster, but if they wished to pursue that course of action, so be it. He was now in the vocal minority with everyone pretty much wanting him to cooperate with those that he knew spat in the eye of Arceus.

He forced himself to sound calm as he replied, "Yes... I will aid this endeavor. Putting up a large barrier will not be easy, and if there is enough strain on it... it will collapse. Be mindful of that. It is NOT a sure way to protect anyone here, likely it will only delay the enemy if they are to find us. At best case, if only a few soldiers find us, it'll be a few minutes of sanctuary. At worst case... it will be destroyed in seconds. It depends on how well our mental strength is. One slip up and the barrier will become only shards of glass."

He gripped his staff, "But we can try it. We must find a spot away from everyone. Silence is the key for this to work. No distractions at all. No talking, no nudging, no thinking about anything else. Now..." He turned to Joseph, "If you know any mediatation spots then it's best we get to them quickly."

"Oh Reginard, you make it sound like the most difficult task in the world." Loria giggled as she floated over to the two. "Even a large barrier is sustainable with the right amount of inner focus. Perhaps it's simply due to your stress that you feel we won't be able to maintain it well enough; surely your mind is more than capable of handling such a troublesome worry. It can't possibly be that painful for you, can it?"

Loria loved this; taunting people was too much fun. If Reginard had any fear of failure, then the barrier indeed would crash down. Although it seemed backhanded, she had to work him into a containable rage to give him enough determination to keep the barrier up. "If it's too hard for you to create, you could always just leave it to me and Joseph. We wouldn't want to strain your mind with such a formidable task. It would be far too risky to have a weak link in the barrier. If you feel you aren't up to snuff with us, you can depart for the battlefield and let's us take the reins. Your choice."

Heehee... this is so much fun.

Reginard wanted to back slap this witch. He wanted to so much... yet he knew it was not right. It was one of those things that would confuse him... the idea that such talk from a young mon could even be allowed. However, she was chosen by the Elder... and that meant that Durand trusted her or at least knew her well enough that he put faith that she would get the job done. Not only that but if she was truly a heroine then even Arceus himself had chosen her. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a long sigh.

"I am more than capable of handling this task. I more along should question your ability to so much as build up enough power to attempt to start a barrier." He made his way past the ice type and followed the Lucario to the area he had pointed out earlier, though as he passed her he made sure to whisper, "Besides, everyone knows that females are not strong psychics at all."

Loria giggled yet again as Reginald attempted to back-burn her by calling her powers weak. "Oh Reginard, you're so naive. Do you honestly think my Psychic powers are that puny? You seem incapable of realizing just how good I am at what I do. I know you've had your doubts; I heard them all as your thought of them. How did I get past the guards? Heehee, that's a secret. But believe me, my powers are a lot stronger than you may realize. My gender has nothing to do with it; I'm stronger than most of the males I've encountered, and I hope to wonder if you're an exception. But probably not."

Doing his best to ignore her comments and the nagging feeling that she might have been reading his mind, Reginard kept on walking and found his spot on the small tuff of grass where Joseph was now. He closed his eyes and began to focus deep within his mind. A good barrier always took time to raise up. Doing it too quickly would cause it to become very weak.

Loria took the spot beside him, clapsing her hands together and closing her eyes as well. She felt her power connect to Reginard instantly, and was pleased to find that he actually had quite a bit of power available to him. I do hope this works. I rarely make large barriers, and usually I don't require help for them. But a barrier this large, to cover all of the Forest's Heart, will require significant amounts of power. Dear Reginard, dear Joseph, please don't disappoint me... With that, she began to focus all her energy.

Reginard once more had to keep in his unease at the situation. He closed his mind off as best as he could and let a small tune play in his mind. As the three concentrated the barrier appeared above them. Slowly it began to spread out until it covered the top of the area and began to move down until it hit against the earth. Now the trick was making sure it didn't break apart anytime soon.

Loria felt satisfaction run through her dead body as the barrier slowly slid into place. Perfect... Now, for one last thing. She very carefully detached her energy from Reginard and Joseph, making sure it still stayed behind to keep the barrier going. Without a word, she floated upwards, through the top of the barrier.

She opened both her arms and took a deep breath. "As a prevention measure. Ominous Wind!" She blew into the air, dark waves of evil energy filling the space around her. The wind overtook a large area around the barrier, large enough to stop anyone from Crimson from getting into Forest's Heart. The wind bounced against the barrier harmlessly; inside of it, everything was still. On the outside of it, it was a sinister hurricane,

Loria giggled as she looked at her handiwork. "The best I've done in a while."

 

[Garet]

Roscoe the Leech
Duskwood
~~~~~
The Forest's Heart

"Who... are... you?"

Roscoe was caught in Grandmother Cybella's stare from then until she looked away. It wasn't often he talked to a giant Pokemon like this. Thankfully, his statement was once again clarified, this time by Tsulong. As they shifted into a war council, Roscoe sat down with the rest of the Brotherhood without thinking. Some habits didn't want to die, even after three years. What Reginard and Vincent said were obvious enough to Roscoe that he felt no need to state it.

More of them? The Sceptile turned to watch as the Froslass and Hitmonchan were brought in, one more willingly than the other. The Froslass' attitude immediately reminded him of Toa, in a way, though not an exact duplicate. Wherever he is. The Hitmonchan wasn't anyone Roscoe recognized; his struggling was another count against the remote possibility of him being of the Brotherhood.

Anyway, back to the war council. It made sense for Lord Zeke to appear as a ghost, yes. Watching Pierce whisper something to the Zangoose made Roscoe shudder slightly. Ghost Pokemon bothered him somehow, no matter who they were. Zeke's comment only served to make Roscoe wonder what Pierce was up to. Loria, aka the Frozen Witch, proposed that a barrier over the Forest's Heart be put up. That wouldn't sit too well with Reginard, would it, protecting the Brotherhood's home.

"Arceus watch over us, and protect us," Roscoe echoed with the Brotherhood. He was sure to mutter under his breath, though. Another habit that didn't want to die.

~~~~~

Place of the Ambush

Three years since the last ambush that Roscoe had took part in with the Brotherhood. He hoped this one would go better.

"Yep, that's who he is," Roscoe said, indicating Guardian before returning his eyes to watching for enemies. "For anyone who hasn't heard it yet, m'name's Roscoe." Somewhere in there, he wasn't sure when, he noted the appearance of Reginard and Loria as they teleported into the group. Roscoe was all for chatting, provided they kept it quiet. "He prob'ly won't say, but that there's Faolan." The Sceptile pointed a thumb at the Mienshao in the heroes' ranks. "Likes being quiet, which is appropriate fer right now."

 

[Sir Bastian]

*bulbagarden.net image removed*Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer – In a bush in Duskwood

Vincent hadn't reacted much to the appearance of these other two people, sent by Durand. Ones that Vincent could only assume also were 'heroes' like they were. A Hitmonchan apparently named Jackson with the title 'The Dark Brawler'. He hadn't heard about him, but the Frosslass, Loria, Vincent recognized all too well. Back when he'd met her the first time, he'd been just as wary about her as he was now, but that didn't change the fact that she was, apparently, here to help. There is also the fact that she's a woman, and Vincent had been taught to treat women with respect. And as such, as she joined the group in their meeting, Vincent bowed his head somewhat to her, respectfully.

However, as said, he hadn't reacted much as they arrived to the council, given that there were much more important things to think of. Once the plan was set in motion and majority of the heroes had headed off to the point of the ambush and sat themselves down, Pierce had taken off and Vincent had an idea of what the ghost was planning. There wasn't a lot he could do, coupled with the words 'Don't drink the water'. Shaking his head, he returned to the present, glancing over at Howland as he began introducing himself and Guardian, talking mainly to everyone but Vincent, since the two had met before, but he felt it only polite to answer, if quietly.

He glanced from Howland, up to Jackson, the Hitmonchan and nodded his head, sitting on his haunches with the telltale, long scarf wrapped around his neck and pulled up over his mouth and nose right now, giving a little nod to him. "Most people call me 'The Wanderer'. People in our little group call me Vince. My name's Vincent."

​

 

[siiadams]

Jackson, the Dark Brawler - Laying in wait

The battle plan was decided on quickly asJackson watched on in silence. The way he saw it, a barrier would protect the Forest's Heart while they'd lay an ambush. The long-rangers would attack first, while him and the close combatants would take out what was left. Seemed like a good idea to him, but he wondered if this was a ploy by the enemy to draw them out quicker. Maybe not, but those Cyalans are tricky little punks. He kept those thoughts to himself as the others got ready for the ambush.

Two hours later, Jackson was found among the bushes near the ambush spot. Amongst the number were a few of the other heroes: two Sceptiles named Howland and Roscoe, a Golurk named Guardian, a Mienshao named Faolan, and a Dewott named Vincent. Jackson hoped to remeber their names before all this was done. He had a hard time with remembering names, but hopefully will not have that issue with them.

As they sat in the dark, waiting for a signal to get busy cracking head, he turned to the others and nodded a greeting to them all, being quiet as a Ratatta, "Nice to meet all of you. In case you missed my name, I'm Jackson. I'd be more than happy to exchange pleasantries with all of you when we're finished with this."


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[Ray Maverick]

The Trade Prince
​

The Trade Prince Januario was thoughtful of the murder of Edward. Even though Edward was the son of King Aion, albeit a bastard one, he wasn't half as dumb as the King. And Januario liked smart people. At least they could offer him an intelligent conversation. Now that Edward was dead, the Trade Prince felt somewhat lonelier on the earth... and his death changed a lot of factors in this war. Who'll lead the Crimson Companions now? Ser Mantarys. The same drunken moron who killed their leader. That's how power works in this damnable Kingdom. Don't matter who's done what, only that's it done and Mantarys is next in the line of leadership. With Mantarys as the leader of the mercenary Company he himself funded, the Trade Prince felt the chances of losing this war with the Brotherhood rising.

He felt uncomfortable, knowing he was spending so much money on the Crimson Company, only to see it run by a fool such as Mantarys. Sure, he was an able killer. Sure, he was the perfect tool. But the only one who could use and control that tool was Edward, who was probably sharing jokes with Arceus up in heaven or wherever lost souls went. Januario knew Mantarys detested him, after all the mockery he had been through - and the fact that a little Pikachu such as Januario was untouchable, thanks to the high status the title of the Trade Prince offered him. Mantarys would have killed him, if he didn't know how dangerous it was to cross a Trade Prince. A Trade Prince was virtually the most powerful individual in the Kingdom, besides the King himself. The King ruled in name, but the Trade Prince ruled in gold. That's how the King paid his expenses to the Crimson Company, with his constant loaning, sinking the crown deeper into debts, until he would have to sell it as well. But King Aion wouldn't do such thing.
The little Pikachu looked up at the starry sky, swimming in his lover's fur. It was a gorgeous, elegant and malevolent Mienshao, namely Alysanne, with shining soft fur. The "most well paid courtesan of all Altica", she was said to be. Januario liked to be generous with his employees.

"My Prince," she said sweetly, "why did that disgusting monster kill Edward? He was kind of cute," she giggled. Januario ignored her comment on the Umbreon's looks. She wouldn't find him so cute after his head was cut off, anyway.

"Sigmund's down investigating. It was murder, he says, and he said it wasn't Mantarys's doing. Someone drugged or tricked him, and drunken as he was, he killed poor old Edward. He decapitated him!"

"Ugh, ew. They cleaned up, right? No way I'm going downstairs to see the blood."

They hadn't left the roof of Mistwatch Keep for days. It was warm enough by night, as Sigmund's protective field of psychic energy distorted the temperature. He grabbed his glass of water from the table nearby, bringing it to his lips to drink...

Suddenly, a screech from the dark sky drew their attention. They perked up their ears and head to see a being of darkness flying to them. It was a Murkrow, with perfectly round eyes that were lifeless.

It flew right at him, knocking the glass of water off his hand and spilling its content on the floor. The Murkrow landed beside it, frantically looked left and right, nervous as if it was just about to be slaughtered. It screeched again, then transformed. A bigger shadow took form in front of them, a slender figure that was perfectly covered in a dark cloak. Under the hood, only one left green eye was shining in the utter darkness. That eye was locked on Januario in a look so intense that almost scared him. That would be the Stranger, personal agent of the King Aion. Januario could feel his dark, destructive powers from where he was sitting, yet he returned the intense emerald gaze with a solid one of his own.

"What'd you do that for?" the Pikachu asked, pissed off - if it was anyone else, he'd have their head. He realized he would feel safer if Sigmund was with him right now; he could never know what was in the Stranger's mind. It seemed as if he had no personality whatsoever, sometimes, and his powers seemed to resemble literally no Pokemon that walked on this earth.

"The river has been poisoned," the Stranger said quietly, in a hushed voice. "That glass of water would be your death."

He saved me, was Januario's first thought, but before he could wander why, he looked over to the camp with his eyes wide open. "That means everyone who drunk... they mix water with their ale, don't they?"

The Trade Prince of Altica started laughing with all his heart. It was a shrill laugh that hid bitterness and contempt of loss in it, but he was amused as well. "That's a good one, oh, really. That ought to reduce our numbers to the half." He was talking in numbers, not in lives - that's how Januario calculated every force in Altica. Lives did not matter, only money did. "We are 'screwed', as the minors put it," there was something sarcastic on his tone. Perhaps he would never get rid of the Brotherhood, and this campaign to get them out of Duskwood was in vain. He didn't care of the Grass Plate; he only wanted to free the trade routes between Cyala and Skyhaven, to save him millions of golden berries a year.

"The enemies are coming," the Stranger said, pointing his long arm to the dark maze to the south, that was Duskwood; on the tip of his sleeve, a dark claw protruded to show the direction. Januario did a double take, his eyes wide open still, as if he was searching for their enemies. "They chose the perfect time. Do they know Edward's dead?"

"You will soon have the luxury of asking them yourself."

Januario smirked his face in, still trying to detect any movement in the forest. "Well, riveting tale, chap, but I see no enemies."

The Stranger remained silent, as if he didn't quite know how to respond. Silence was his most common response to Januario's quips and japes. He often wondered if he was awkward, or just couldn't be bothered with a sensible answer. Alysanne gripped the Pikachu tightly, fearing the silence and the piercing gaze of the Stranger. Then, something happened. A sudden flare from the forest illuminated the sky like a star. Januario jumped from his bed and went closer to see.

It was like fireworks, only they were shot towards the Cyalan camp across the river instead of bursting in the sky. Massive streams of roaring fire turned the night into day. Look at that, Januario mused, watching blast of fire being launched after blast of fire at the camp. The wooden logs surrounding the camp ignited and the fire spread. The tents went up in flames, and the dry ground of Westfall ignited. "This is so rich," Januario shouted, laughing. "I know whose work this is. This is one of the Examplars of Fire, and there's only one of them who's not on our side."

"Tsulong, hmm?" Alysanne purred from behind, watching the fireworks with a sly, malevolent grin. "I hope he doesn't die..." she giggled, "... today. I'd like to see him one last time. He was so cute."

"Sweetie, get someone to douse these fires, before Mantarys rushes after that troublemaker as I am sure he will," Januario said to Alysanne, who left quietly without another word. He glanced at the Stranger awkwardly. "Do you think this is a bait? I see no more of them."

The Stranger disappeared with no answer. A Murkrow was flying south towards the forest in the night sky.

Tsulong
​

Tsulong was standing on a hill on the other side of the river, about seventy yards away from the camp. Seventy yards was a long distance for the amateur user of flames; it was nothing for an Exemplar of Fire. His breath became seething, roaring fire that matched that of a dragon's. The flames licked the wooden logs that made a wall around the camp, which fell down onto a tent from the impact. The tent caught of fire and was hit by a massive blast of fire, making it explode to light the night sky. Cue the screams from the camp. Tsulong drew another breath and moved his aim, spreading the fire to the other logs and tents. A tree ignited with its seeds popping into the air like rocks from an explosion.

Some of the mercenaries poured out of the fracture Tsulong had created in the wooden wall and tried to cross the river. Members of the Brotherhood, the same who had helped Tsulong dispatch the patrol unit of the mercenaries around the camp, shot crossbow bolts and ranged attacks of either electricity or ice.

Little Giant, a cheeky Electabuzz, was particularly excited to get to kill some Cyalans; they had pained the Brotherhood for too long. "Time for some payback! Fry, ye pompous gasbags!" he shouted as he fired a thunderbolt right into the flowing waters of the river. Water is a good conduit for electricity, and you know the rest. They fried. Fishermen down the river would have a tasty meal tonight.

The small part of the camp had went up in flames, and the active water Pokemon mercenaries of the Company had started dousing the fire. Those didn't drink from the water, Tsulong reflected, else they would be poisoned. Pierce had made him aware of his scheme, even though he knew the Arcanine would disapprove. It didn't seem like an honorable way to deal with the enemy, but then again, burning a forest to root out your enemies wasn't either - that was the tactic of the Exemplars of Fire. They were praised by the King for their services, but they were the worst killers, in the end.

Tsulong knew all this, and he was trying to leave his past behind. He would keep his title and prove that not all of the Exemplars of Fire were bad - at least, not him. He was fighting for a higher purpose, rather than a King's will.

He shut his mouth and drew breath, knowing he had just started a war, officially. Meanwhile, to the east, the bridge was heavy with Cyalans coming over, led by none other than a crazed Mantarys with red eyes who was running towards them.

"Uhh, think we should jet, guys," Little Giant said worriedly.

"We should," Tsulong agreed, "let's take this heat back to the others."​

 

[Sir Bastian]

*bulbagarden.net image removed*Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer & Howland – Duskwood's edge, ambush site

"Most people call me 'The Wanderer'. People in our little group call me Vince. My name's Vincent," the Dewott with the scarf had said.

"Nice to meet all of you," the Hitmonchan said, "In case you missed my name, I'm Jackson. I'd be more than happy to exchange pleasantries with all of you when we're finished with this."

Howland nodded curtly to him, chewing on his stick. "Aye, let's all hope we'll be alive by the end o' this. We're facin' a mighty enemy here. They're pups, mercenaries, but there're lots and lots. Take care, e'ryone, 'nd good luck."

He glanced past the other Sceptile of the group, Roscoe, then he decided to give a piece of his mind. "Roscoe, wasn't the name, boy?" he whispered, pointing his dirk upwards, "get up on them trees 'nd leap from above." He patted him on the shoulder, noticing his pendant. Wha's that now?

Before he got to wonder further, he remembered of Vincent. Now he knew for sure who the Wanderer was - somebody he knew not too well, but knew nevertheless. "Oi, Vince," he hailed the Dewott, making sure to take the most pleasant smile his crooked teeth allowed. "Come with me. Wanna show you something."

Vincent look over to Howland, raising his brows. With a quiet nod, he pushed his hands against the grassy floor and got up, his small stature making him able to easily stand up within the bush without protruding from it, as he heads off to Howland. "What's up?"

"You'll see, we walk for a bit now," Howland responded without looking at him. He prowled through the bushes, ducked as he was, headed for the place where a group of the Brotherhood was hiding. The flora was dense all around them, perhaps thicker than any other part of the forest Howland had been into. "It's gonna be a tough battle for them Cyalans, what with all these trees and all. It's night, too, so they won't be seeing past their noses. Brotherhood knows its way around, so we'll have the upper hand."

As they walked a bit more, their ears picked up a distant chant. It was constant and monotonous, sang by only one solemn voice.

Vincent's ears flicked softly at the sound of the distant singing that slowly grew louder. It was soon revealed to be Joseph, the Lucario that had caught Vincent's interests after supposedly bringing Zeke back from the dead. He took a moment to watch the group and let Joseph's foreign words spread through the undergrowth of the forest.

The members of that group of the Brotherhood were all prowling in the bushes in a circle, with Lord Zeke and Joseph the Argent Healer sitting on two rocks next to each other. It was the Lucario who sung the solemn song in a language unknown to Howland. His features were steel and sullen from the tone he used. He had his arms spread, as if he was embracing the members of the band, and his head looking up, where the sky would be if not for all these massive trees. At that moment, Howland thought Joseph was probably older than him, and he was right. The man was past his sixties, and he was older than Howland by a decade.

Vincent glanced over at Howland after sometime, muttering quietly, as to not disturb them. "What's he singing?"

Howland stood, listening. "I'm not sure myself. I suppose it's an old Fenju war anthem, sung in their ancient dialect that's long forgotten. I doubt even Arceus remembers."

"Mmh." Vincent replied, watching the group and in particular, Joseph, his arms folding across his chest as he listened to the words slowly reverberating around them. It was quite a beautiful song, though whether that was because of the mood or because of the unknown language it was being sung in, he wasn't sure. Not long after, Vincent glanced back up at Howland. "Was this what you were going to show me?"

Joseph was done with his chant. Silence hung over the forest. "Wait just a little bit longer," Howland said finally.

"My children," the priest said quietly, sullenly, after the chant was done, "have you all prayed? Have you all given Arceus your devotion?" There were silent nods from everyone in the group. The Lucario got on his feet and Little Giant handed him a bag, which was full of what seemed like some kind of molded cheese. He shared a bite with everyone, and said:

"Then I bless you all from the bottom of my heart. Let us meditate under His watch, until our enemies make themselves apparent..." his voice faded into a whisper, and they all stood waiting. The silence felt easy, despite the tension. Perhaps it was the cheese. Lord Zeke had shut his good left eye, chewing on the snack. He looked as if he was sleeping.

"Ever seen the Lord smile?" Howland asked his companion quietly.

Vincent's brows raised at the question and he shook his head, turning his gaze onto the group. "No. Not that I've seen him all that much, but he doesn't strike me as the genuinely smiling type. This Joseph... he's special. I think I'd like to get to know him, once all of this is over with."

Howland chuckled. "No, not that Lord. The Lord above us. Arceus. I've seen him smile. All the world's care, right there. Do you know what's it that Joseph's doing over there? He's showing them how the Lord smiles. They'll feel it in their bones, when the time to strike comes."

Vincent glanced up at Howland skeptically for just a moment before he looked back at the group. "That lord, I've seen less than Zeke. Though faith is important to keep by your side. Even more so for those in need."

"Indeed."



At that very moment, a Pidgey's cry went up in the silent forest, and the Brotherhood readied itself, knowing this was the signal for incoming enemies. There were about forty small teams arranged in a V formation, four hundred or so members of the Brotherhood on the prowl, waiting for the Cyalans to wander right into their ranks.



A racing laugh followed the wind, one that Howland had heard before; it was Tsulong, running full speed towards them. A red blur swung past the bushes; Tsulong had vanished from sight, joining the heroes. Soon after, the ground started to shake. It was the footsteps of many hundreds of Pokemon that headed towards their way. Their cries started to echo in the dark forest. The enemy outnumbered them three to one, surely. Howland found himself questioning their strategy here. He had taken part in failed ambushes, made by the Indrasilians in their rebellion against these very Cyalans... the members of the Brotherhood stood still, some above the trees, most of them down in the bushes. Anticipation rose as the Cyalans approached. Faith's all that's left now, I suppose.

Howland looked back at Vincent sharply, with the same pleasant smile he maintained all this time turning wicked in its own way. "Look quiet, don't they? Faithful believers in a moment. Deadly animals in the next."

"Let His Will be done," Joseph the Argent Healer was heard whispering. The cries of the Cyalans had gotten loud, now they were walking straight to their deaths in a row, following the tracks Tsulong's extremespeed had left. Their scouts who had braved the trees were silenced.

It all happened in a sudden, violent snap of the deadly trap that was laid.

Startled cries went up. Howland witnessed the team of Lord Zeke attacking the vanguard with such ferocity that they were driven back. The Brotherhood wasn't shouting. Any one of them could be their leader... Howland took a second to look at the Brotherhood falling onto the mercenaries, smashing through them with the power of a train. They were like fangs in a fly trap that suddenly closed its jaws on its prey, sawing right through it. Only the mercenaries were screaming; the members of the Brotherhood were singing in an amazingly synchronized chorus, despite the confusion and death and screams.

"Our courage burns eternal, we fight for what we believe
Soil, and tree, these we only need
Bleeding, for Justice and His Will to bring
Stand together, we live and die free
For we kneel to no King"​

​

 

[Garet]

Roscoe the Leech
Duskwood - Ambush Site
~~~~~

"Roscoe, wasn't the name, boy?" Howland whispered, pointing his dirk upwards, "get up on them trees 'nd leap from above."

Roscoe merely nodded as his eyes flicked over to study the other Sceptile for a moment. Definitely had that feel of experience, and Howland didn't seem the type to mess around. It was close to time to stop talking anyways. Roscoe turned and quietly climbed a nearby tree, disappearing from view among the foliage once he stopped moving. Night, so can't charge up a good SolarBeam. The Leech Seed attached to his neck didn't store solar energy, despite what ignorant Pokemon might think.

Then came the Pidgey's cry, and the earth-shake of pounding footsteps as the Cyalans approached. They really don't know how to deal with forest Pokemon, do they? Then Roscoe focused his attention on the impending battle, his Seed stirring in anticipation. Two of the enemy's scouts came in his direction; they were silenced easily with his Leaf Blades.

Snap went the trap.

A Zebstrika's last sight of the living world was a shadow leaping onto him from above; then Roscoe's Blade found the Cyalan's neck. His leap turned into a roll as the Zebstrika fell to the ground, and Roscoe swiped his other Leaf Blade up the front of a Heracross. The Heracross stumbled back before attempting to Take him Down, but the Sceptile had already skipped to one side and now tripped him. Grabbing the downed Cyalan's horn with both claws, Roscoe Drained its energy before swinging the Heracross around to throw at two more Cyalans.

Former Brotherhood or not, Roscoe was silent as he fought.

 

[Trev]

Loria / Treetops

"So... it begins. Heehee."

Loria floated above the pointy peak of a large oak tree, a way's away from where Mantary's army was marching. Tsulong and Howland were more than likely already making their way close to them, and the long distance attacks from the Crimson Company would soon begin once they were started. In fact, she could already spot multiple flames and electricity bolts from deep within the forest. Those attacks would cause quite a bit of turmoil in the Brotherhood - unless she had something to do about it.

Loria opened her arms and closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply and began to sing.

"Our courage burns eternal, we fight for what we believe."

As Loria began singing, cold wisps of crystallized air began to pour from her mouth. They swished about randomly as more appeared, creating beautiful bright-blue wind in front of her.

"Soil, and tree, these we only need."

The wind grew larger, and stronger - the tops of nearby trees began to freeze in a trickly and delayed manner.

"Bleeding, for Justice and His Will to bring."

The wind became a gale; the sound of whipping gusts began to fill the chilling air.

"Stand together, we live and die free."

The air was louder and threatening now, growing larger as Loria sung each word. Shouts from the Crimson Company signified the long-distant attackers preparing to assault. Fireballs and shocking bolts of electricity appeared in the air, readying to cascade down upon the Brotherhood in painful fury.

"For we kneel to no... King!"

With a swing of her arms, the spiraling wind became a terrifying Blizzard that began cutting through the air as sharp as a knife. Trees shook and bent in the powerful blast of freezing gusts as it rocketed across the open air towards the Company's attacks. It struck into them with a mighty force, the attacks exploding beautifully upon collision. The sky lit up as the fire and electricity mixed with the ice, creating a beautiful spectrum of bittersweet colors that illuminated the night sky. The Company's attacks were eventually destroyed, and the forest returned back to its darkened state.

But Loria's job was far from over - illuminated by the glow of the full moon, Loria saw the aerial forces flying towards her; uncountable Flying-types darting through the air, with many a warriors on their backs. They flew with indescribable determination, ready to defeat the one who assailed them.

Loria grinned. "Oh, this is so long overdue~"

She jumped from the top of the tree as a Pidgeot with a Gallade on its back careened towards her; the pair crashed into the top, effectively taking both of them down. As their unconscious bodies fell towards their imminent death, Loria gently floated back down toward her original spot. "Is that the best you cowards can do? I want to be entertained - show me something interesting!"

She shot from the top of the tree, heading right towards a Staraptor. From her mouth, an Ice Beam fired, hitting the bird straight in the chest and freezing it into a giant hunk of ice. As it fell, the Pansage riding it jumped into the air and came down on Loria, firing Razor Leaves at her. She narrowly dodged it - one managed to shallowly slice her side - and shot a sinister Shadow Ball at him. It hit its mark, blowing the Pansage back, and causing him to begin his painful drop onto the forest floor as Loria landed on top of another tree top.

Two Fearow made break-point right towards, spiraling downwards together in a Drill Peck combo attack. Loria inhaled once again and blew a weaker Blizzard at them - it clipped the sides of their wings and threw their equilibrium out of balance, causing them to crash into each other. From behind came a Virgoroth and a Cacturne; the former had a Shadow Claw waiting to strike, while the latter charge up a powerful Dark Pulse. The Cacturne attacked first, the dark ball flying right towards her. She inhaled and fired another Ice Beam, shattering the ball into dust and striking the Cacturne head-on, freezing it solid. The Vigoroth, however, hit his mark perfectly - or so he thought, until Loria appeared behind him almost immediately as he struck. Loria clenched her hand into a fist and struck the Vigoroth hard in his side, making him lose his aerial balance and flop down into the forest.

Loria suddenly felt herself falling down as well, and noticed that a pair of electrified arms had grabbed her when she wasn't looking. "Gotcha now, lady! You're mince meat!" The Electabuzz restraining her was aiming her body right towards a tree - not like it would do him much justice. Loria focused her body's energy, and as she made contact with the tree, she phased right into it. The Electabuzz, having very little time to even think of his stupidity, slammed into the tree hard, knocking himself out.

Loria shot from the top of the tree, ready for the final attempt from the aerial force. A Crobat, a Gligar, and a Skamory were all shooting towards her, each readying their attack in hopes of defeating her. But, the effort was to no avail. Loria inhaled a large breath once again, but instead blew out her signature Ominous Wind, blasting all three backwards into the trees nearby and sending them towards the ground. The aerial force's last resistance was defeat.

Loria giggled, feeling insignificant amounts of pain from the Razor Leaf, the Shadow Claw, and the electrical shocks from her attackers. "Well, that takes care of that~ Time to get back to the group." She jumped from the top and began to float her way back down to the floor, ready to head back to the Ambush Site.

 

[siiadams]

Jackson, the Dark Brawler - Sprung the Trap

The stage was set, the players were ready...suddenly, the signal sounded as Jackson saw Zeke's men jump out and attack. Some of the others had vaulted over the hedges they were hiding behind, leaving Jackson for the most part alone. Realizing that he would be late for the action, he cursed himself for not paying attention and leapt out himself, gunning for the first group of Cyalans he could see. He used Agility as he ran so he could meet the group faster and be better able to dodge their attacks.

He surprised the small group from their right side. He first brandished his fist out as it crackled with electrical power as he used Thunder Punch to take out a Wartortle among their ranks. THAT got the group's attention! Soon he was using his speed out keep out of an Escavalier's stabbing range as he unleashed his Sky Uppercut on a Boldore that almost knocked it out. Jackson, though, felt the attack from the Escavalier as it used a Fury Attack on him. He didn't waste any more time as flames engulfed his fists and pummeled the foe with Fire Punches until the lances fell from Escavalier's grasp. Another flurry of punches ended Boldore's role in the battle, as well. It was then that Jackson felt a hard attack land against his back. As he sprang back to his feet, a Hitmonlee (leading that small group) was seen retracting his leg back. "You think you're strong, young Hitmonchan?" he shouted over the din of battle, "No one is a match for me. Surrender or die!"

Both the Hitmonlee and Jackson assumed a battle pose. There was a lot of animosity between all Hitmonlees and Hitmonchans stemming from who was stronger in battle. He had no idea how it started, but Jackson was determined to prove that he would be victorious. "Surrender? You are a joke to me, " Jackson retorted, "Come at me and your fate will be sealed." It was then that both rushed forward, a flurry of kicks and punches flying through the air and cancelling the other out. They took a couple steps back and circled one another, looking for an opening. Suddenly, the Hitmonlee rushed forward into a somersault, apparently readying a Rolling Kick. Jackson responded with his Detect move and was able to move aside as the kick met with air. As he got up, Jackson moved in with a Fire Punch that not only landed, but scorched the Lee's skin where the punch landed. A scream left the foe's lips as Jackson continued to pummel away, effectively weakening the foe with the burns.

Soon, the Lee collapsed on the ground, mentioning that the army would still see their mission through, that they'll still take the Plate no matter how much of the forest they had to destroy to get it. For some reason, Jackson was enraged at the comment and he leapt into the air as a layer of frost covered his right glove. He came down from his leap, driving his Ice Punch directly into the Lee's head and heard a crunch of bone collapsing in from the impact. Jackson stood over the body of the Hitmonlee for a moment in respect before turning to find more enemies that he could defeat.


Posted from Pokecommunity.com App for Android

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

Reginard sighed as he teleported yet again back to where this ambush was to be taken. One part of his mind was constantly monitoring the shield. He knew it would break, it would shatter. What then? Of course everyone would turn against them. It was why he had another plan in the back of his mind, ready to act on it in a moment's notice so as to avoid any event that could result in his death. Still... it was only if these mercenaries survived this battle. He was very sure that they could kill a large dose of them, but only if luck was on their side.

He knew in regards to dark types he was not as helpful as could be... but he still had the ability to strike out at other beings. He gathered his power and shot out a wave at a group of soldiers, watching silently as most of them were thrown back. He quickly teleported to a new spot and found a large cluster to hit with another wave. He was weak and he knew if he was hit he could very well be put out, so he made sure to teleport around and not stay too long in one place. He wasn't looking to kill... more along to disorient and confuse their enemies.

It would be odd to be hit by seemingly your own side, and it could raise alarms that perhaps some of them were behind them. All the more to raise panic. He closed his eyes as he felt his weariness hitting him and he ported away from the fighting. He sat down on the ground and took a few huffs of much needed air. His body was sweating and shaking, but he was well enough to just sit down for a few seconds and refocus his thoughts. All he needed was a bit of piece and quietness.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Tsulong

The Brotherhood sung a strange song as they clashed with the Cyalans. Strangely enough, he could hear it clearly, despite the screams and fuss of battle. That's their way of boosting morale, Tsulong guessed. He, too, attacked with the rest of the heroes. Only he wasn't singing. He was letting out mighty roars, when his mouth wasn't full of flesh or fire.

He tackled down a Grumpig and sunk his fiery fangs onto its neck, then took a deep breath and unleashed the fire that was burning in his gut. A huge stream of fire razed everything in front of him, until he himself caught on fire and charged in a Flare Blitz that hit the Cyalans like a destructive bullet of fire. The Cyalans let out battle cries, as they started to fight back the Brotherhood and the heroes. From the flames and smoke, the Exemplar of Fire roared his courage again, a loud, intimidating battle cry that momentarily covered everything else.

"Ser Tsulong," he heard a voice from the smoke. "Traitor!"

Another burst of fire covered everything in front of him, more screams sounded as the Cyalans backed off, trying to avoid the flames. "I am no 'Ser'," Tsulong grunted.

Faolan

The Mienshao danced in the midst of the battle, blocking, countering and delivering blows with quick but simple and precise movements. He was in the state of extreme focus he slipped in each battle, though it wasn't often he had to deal with so many enemies at once. Unlike the Brotherhood's teams, he remained in one spot and dealt with anything that came his way. Soon, there were no more enemies to fight, as the combined efforts of the Brotherhood and the heroes drove the mercenaries back. They had dealt a massive hit to this army... and now it was retreating.

Somewhere, Mantarys's raspy, frenzied roars echoed in the forest. "Forward, you miserable rodents, not back! GO FORWARD!"

But the mercenaries kept losing ground. They didn't want to fight the Brotherhood at these odds anymore, it seemed. The Fight Master leaped off the ground, taking to the trees. Swinging from branch to branch with an effortless grace and speed, he passed above the small army of mercenaries. A few airborne Pokemon noticed him, but he shot them off with Aura Spheres.

He travelled to the north, using the trees as cover. The cries and screams and roars soon faded behind him.

The Mienshao landed on the shore of the river that separated the Cyalan camp and Duskwood. Tsulong had caused formidable destruction on its walls, although the flames had well been put out by now.

Faolan launched himself off the ground in a series of acrobatics, landing on the other side of the river. A jump of thirty feet wasn't something anyone could do... Master Zhao had taught him how to use Acrobatics.

Nobody tried to stop him as he strode through the Cyalan camp... more than two thousand, all across the extent of Westfall, they were in their tents, dead or dying. Part of him wondered if Pierce was responsible for what had happened there. If this is Pierce's doing... he ought to be more dangerous than I first thought.

His eyes lifted to the top of the Mistwatch Keep, a stone tower amidst the Westfall camp, and for a last time, he hoped the one he was searching for would be there.
​

 

[Trev]

Loria &

Faolan / Westfall Camp

Loria gently landed on the ground next to the tree she had descended from. She could heard the sounds of war from nearby, the shouts of many men and the reverberations of powerful attacks echoing into the night. "Hmm... I don't want to miss out on that fun. Better get moving."

She quickly darted through the forest, phasing through trees in order to reach her destination faster. Eventually, she was able to spot her comrades as well as her enemies sparring in the middle of an open field. She noticed Tsulong going bananas on large groups of warriors, both impressed and intimidated by his collective use of fire.

However, that was far from her main concern; she happened to noticed that Faolan, the silent Mienshao who had been introduced when she arrived at the camp, was actually fleeing from the battle himself. That's odd... whatever could he be up to? With her curiosity peaked, she decided to tail him, shooting an Ice Beam at a Stantler who got too close before taking after him.

Faolan was indeed a fast mover, flipping from branch to branch and weaving between trees. Despite his speed, being a ghost granted Loria a one-up in the form of phasing through any solid object, so she managed to maintain a good follow behind him. She halted herself when she noticed that Faolan had stopped right in the camp, looking towards the large tower she had noticed when she was on the treetops.

She decided that revealing herself wouldn't do any harm right now. She phased out of the tree she was hiding in and approached the Mienshao. "Faolan, I'm intrigued. What exactly are you doing when there's a battle awaiting us? I hope you aren't planning on betraying us."

Faolan jerked around, facing the ghost. His eyes intense, he assumed his coldest expression and tone. "You offend me. On the contrary, I pursue to further our cause as heroes. I have made a promise I intend to keep. And for whatever purpose have you followed me here?" His snout became a firm line, indicating he was resisting to make any other comments.

Loria giggled, covering her mouth in a subtle mocking of the way he was keeping his words to himself. "My dear, be not alarmed. I only followed because I was quite curious about your antics. What do you plan to do at that tower over there, presuming you're moving in that direction? Are you planning on meeting with someone?"

He glanced at the tower, choosing his words. "I don't put my trust to any ghosts. But I will tell you this. I seek information. Information only the Trade Prince can give me." Now he started walking to the tower, with his hands behind his back, ignoring whatever cries of pain reached his ears from the camp around them.

At the mention of the Trade Prince, Loria immediately dropped her playful smile. "Excuse me, did you just say... Trade Prince? As in, Januario the Trade Prince of Crimson Company? You're going to see him?"

"Positively, if he indeed is there."

Loria mind began whirring, painful memories resurfacing from the depths they were previously shoved into. It all came back in a rush of resentment for the repulsive little creature she knew as Januario.

"Januario, I do so apologize for my lack of cooperative desire, but associating with people such as yourself is far beyond my interests." Loria explained, speaking to the Trade Prince who was standing in front of the makeshift throne she sat upon as two Snorunt's fanned her with the leaf fans. "I've caught wind of this, how do you say it, Crimson Company you speak of. They've been involved in numerous evil deeds from what I've heard, and I wouldn't feel safe leaving the funds of my village in their hands. You appear to me as a well-spirited representative, but I do have a vision, and I believe I can achieve it without your help."

"Ms. Loria, your royalty, I beg you to reconsider." Januario argued, approaching closer to her and motioning the Reuniclus he'd brought along to come closer. Sigmund was his name, and he had a professional and seemingly neutral expression on. "I can ensure you that any rumor you've heard of Crimson Company is false. They're a merry bunch, I tell you! I guarantee you, this. Your village will be safe and sound in our hands, so long as you give us your full trust and cooperation. No questions asked. I told you, already... it is the best interest of everyone in this Kingdom, including me and you, to secure the Ice Plate." A mild, threatening smile had spread on his face. It wouldn't seem at all dangerous, if it was a normal Pikachu smiling like that.

Loria shook her head. She felt some unease at how Januario acted, and the fact that he would even consider it okay to step forward to her royalness with his 'partner' made her absolutely repulsed by him."Your arguments fall on deaf ears, Januario. My mind is set. My village will not cooperate with the Crimson Company, not now nor in the future. Your talk of this rumored Ice Plate is nothing but speculation, I am sure. Whatever it is you seek, you will not find it here. Good day. Nathan, Bergerard, please escort Januario and his associate out, if you would."

Two Glalie emerged from the shadows, standing in front of Januario and Sigmund. Januario glared at them with his eyes half shut and said in a menacing, shrill voice, "I had you for a more insightful leader than this, Loria." He chuckled. "Perhaps you will listen to reason, sometime in the future... come on, Sigmund. Our time and words are as good as wasted here." With that, the group turned and walked out towards the exit.

Loria shook her head once again. "What a pitiful man, being involved in such a dastardly association. I hope he discovers a better path in his life, one that is not fueled by rumors and lies. Such talents going to waste... what a shame."

Loria felt her anger rising, which hadn't occured in quite some time. Januario, the man who kept his promise and initiated the entire destruction of her village, and the deaths of her family and friends, may or may not be right at the top of this unprotected tower. She clenched her fists together. "We shall confront Januario together." With that, she swiftly stormed ahead of Faolan, heading directly towards the entrance of the tower.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Loria & Faolan
​

Faolan walked towards Mistwatch Keep with his hands behind his back. Behind the walls of the Keep, he could sense the auras of two hostile Pokemon. Powerful auras, both of them, one belonged to a psychic with immense strength. He stopped put as they moved. "Stop," he said to Loria, just before she entered the Keep. Right then, the two Pokemon appeared in front of them.

It was a bulky Reuniclus with a frown that indicated he was no friend. He was accompanied a gorgeous Mienshao that had her eyes locked on Faolan the moment she took notice of him. Faolan eyed her back intensely, without being phased by her beauty. He knew her - he'd heard of her, at least; a Mienshao so... common, she was a celebrity in Skyhaven. Alysanne the Courtesan. A courtesan of luxury... a shameful and dishonorable profession, if I ever knew one.

"Hello there," the Reuniclus greeted them with a cheeky expression that was surely fake. Apart from that, he seemed to keep his professional attitude. "Have you gotten lost? We might as well relocate you, two feet underground."

Loria laughed heartily. "I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor. It will be one that will be impossible for either of you to achieve."

"Sigmund, aren't you going to introduce us?" the courtesan asked with a sassy smirk, nudging the Reuniclus with her hand. She was still watching Faolan in a way he did not like at all.

"We know who you are. A needlessly buff, despicable psychic who is paid to take lives and an utterly disgusting and pompous courtesan who sells services to a Pikachu," Faolan said curtly, his voice cutting like a razor. Without further words, he braced himself, stiffening his limbs into a Sword Dance. Things were going to be serious, if Sigmund was here, he knew.

Loria opened her arms, taking her usual fighting stance. "I believe I remember you, Sigmund. Are you not the stolid man who accompanied Januario to my throne room that night; you know, the one before you both burned down my village? It's great to be face-to-face with you once again. This has been a long time coming, as some may say."

Loria quickly drew a breath and blew it out, sending Ominous Wind careening precariously towards both of them. The dark wind flew to their foes, but with a metallic sound that cracked sharp, it was repelled away from the duo. When it subsided, they could see Sigmund had raised a wall of psychic energy that was pulsing green. His expression was solid, it was clear he had not flinched.

Loria rolled her eyes. "Arceus, you Psychic-types. Hiding behind your energy. Be forthcoming if you honestly wish to defeat me." She charged a Shadow Ball. "Otherwise, this fight will be completely pointless."

"You talk too much," Sigmund grunted, another metallic sound cracking as his psychic energy gathered and unleashed into an explosion.

Faolan knew to step aside and leap off the ground before it was too late; he felt the psychic explosion and the sound wave behind him as he flew to the opposing Mienshao. Attractive female or not, he had not a problem with hitting her. She must've realized too late, as she staggered by the gust of sudden whipping attacks he threw at her; he took her down and they rolled towards the Keep, out of Loria's sight.

Loria, who had been anticipating some kind of attack from Sigmund, used the Shadow Ball to prevent the attack from hitting her by forming it into a shield that just barely managed to protect her from the explosion. "You should be quiet about this - your men are sleeping; eternally, I might add."

She darted forward, weaving towards Sigmund at breakneck pace, firing a solid Ice Beam right towards him as she covered more ground between them. The beam hit the Reuniclus right through his gel, stunning him momentarily; it seemed as if he had stayed to receive the attack on purpose. The small shards of ice melted on his gel armor as the wound closed. Suddenly, time stopped, green lines imbued with psychic energy spreading all around them. A Trick Room.

Loria stopped, feeling her speed draining from her at an alarming rate. "You bastard, fight like a noble warrior." She charged up another Shadow Ball. "Using trickery in battle is never acceptable - only outside of battle is it okay."

For his answer, Sigmund had charged an odd wave of energy that was glowing red. Behind it, his pale face shone red in a menacing way. "I'm a mercenary. Were you hoping for an honorable battle?" He chuckled and fired towards her, not stopping as he gathered more energy from the ground, as it appeared.

The Shadow Ball shield flew up again; however, the beam struck with more power than Loria was expecting, so it could only sustain itself for a few moments before it shattered, striking her right hand. "Yeesh!" She jumped back from the rest of the beam, her hand steaming. "For someone who is only moderately less intelligent than myself, yes, I would expect honorable battling. However, tricks are my natural forte, so it's only expected that I -"

Suddenly, Loria vanished in a puff of smoke. Her voice was no longer speaking. Sigmund remained motionless, turning occasionally around, as if searching the area. His look didn't seem worried at all. Perhaps that ought to have been a clue for more tricks to come... He turned around again suddenly...

"You are behind me," he called out and fired his psychic explosion behind him, ground and dirt flying after the standard metallic sound.

"Why yes I am!" Suddenly, Loria actually appeared behind him this time, happily ramming a Shadow Ball right into Sigmund's back. "Good guess!" She chirped, before firing the ball and sending Sigmund crashing across the ground.

Wordlessly, Sigmund floated up, his gel pierced horribly by the Ghost-type attack, part of his head blackened by the blast. He didn't seem to be in pain... although he should have been. A strange vibe of energy caught Loria and pulled her towards him. As they got closer, his intense gaze locked onto her, his eyes shining dark green with his psychic energy. "Ever heard of... Pain Split?" The Psychic whispered. Something terrible was burning in his eyes, that was not anger nor happiness.

Loria struggled as the energy grabbed her. "Actually, ergh, yes, I have heard of it." She couldn't pull her hands together to form a Shadow Ball, and the last breath she had was being squeeze out of her by the tightness of the energy bind. "A move that exchanges the health of two combatants. It's a sacrificial heal of sorts, healing the user and harming the target. Using it would transfer any damage done to you, to me. Strategic, indeed."

This wasn't a good situation. There was only one attack that could possibly save Loria now; and worse of all, she wasn't supposed to use it. Psychic. All of her Psychic energy was left back at the barrier. She could still access it, yes, but doing so may topple the barrier. In fact, it absolutely would - there's no way Joseph and Reginard thought to leave behind their Psychic powers, so her's was the last sustaining lifeline between the Forest's Heart and the Crimson Company.

But there wasn't any choice.

Loria closed her eyes, sending her mind travelling blindingly back to Forest's Heart, at the spot where her Psychic being was in place. It wavered and glitched, and immediately disappeared - and as she had suspected, the barrier that was once strong and glimmering became opague and flimsy, having very little energy left to sustain it. It was just enough to keep it going. The Ominous Wind around the barrier had also stopped, leaving Forest's Heart mostly unprotected.

The Psychic being traveled back in the direction Loria's mind had gone, hitting her all at once. As her energy returned instantly, she shouted something that was inaudible over the hum of her energy, which shattered the binding on her in a flash of brilliant purple light. From the dust that cleared, Loria came flying out, Shadow Ball in hand, ramming it right into Sigmund's face.

The Reuniclus was blown back in a trail of black energy, crushing against the wall of the Keep. The wall collapsed into rubble and a cloud of dust was raised, concealing everything. There was no further sound from there.

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

Reginard finally felt ready enough to stand back up. He cracked his neck and wiggled his fingers a bit. He caught the image in his mind once more and ported back to the area of the conflict. He made sure to port a distance away so as to not land right in front of a hyper beam or what not. Judging by the screams and other cries of pain he was now hearing, the others were either causing a lot of havoc among the soldiers, or the soldiers were killing a lot of these cultists and cleaving a path right where they needed to go. Still, it was his duty now to fight back against the more threatening of the two groups, so he focused his mind and shot out a psychic blast at a group of soldiers who foolishly bunched up together.

He caught sight of a Scyther and sent some psychic energy at him, though instead of working to kill the bug he used his powers to take control of the bug's body, forcing him to make a turn and start slicing through his own comrades. He then sent a high powered attack at the bug's mind, crushing his consciousness easily. There were still so many, and now Reginard could not see the witch anywhere and even Faolan was missing. Either they had left to take care of something else or had been overrun by this mob of soldiers. He sincerely hoped that the witch had fallen to the later fate.

He glanced back over the crowd of soldiers when suddenly he felt a chill hit him hard. It wasn't a temperature drop chill... it was more along a feeling of being watched. No... there were many pokemon probably watching him, but in the mass of soldiers he saw a figure. He could only see it for a second. It was covered in some sort of darkness and he couldn't make out the face or anything really, but in that split second he felt a migraine so intense that he dropped his spoon and staff and screamed out. He fell to his knees and closed hie eyes tightly while his hands raced to his head to grip it as pain spasmed inside his head.

In that instant his part of the barrier collapsed. A bit of the barrier began shrinking as parts here and there quickly disintegrated. His head throbbed wildly as images came to his mind. He... he was in a dark room. So many Mukrows... so many...

He remembered... a dryness. Had he been thirsty? He couldn't tell much from it, but then he heard something. It was like.. a song, but it wasn't a song he knew. He wasn't sure what this language was... but it sounded soothing in a way. He curled up and clutched his head frantically while he tried to make a new link to the barrier, but that just caused the pain in his head to flare up drastically.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Pierce
​

The starry night had started to become a burden to bear. The sound of war from within the forest, the sound of death inside the camp... Three thousand lives, gone with the snap of some fingers - everyone but the resistant ones was badly poisoned and dying all around him. Pierce had eaten good in the Cyalan camp, sneaking in the shadows and draining the feverish nightmares of the dying. The Cunning Shadow didn't invite death, but he did look at the mercenaries as pawns to a bigger game of power that they simply could not comprehend with... and like in chess, pawns must be sacrificed some times, to achieve a greater victory. That greater victory was what Pierce was after right now, flying to the top of the Mistwatch Keep, where he knew he would find Januario.

He was carrying a suitcase with him, bearing notes he had taken on his way to the Cyalan camp. He turned around, his gaze brushing the entirety of the foggy forest. Look at the size of those trees. The supply of lumber here is endless... Hmm, now here is some useful information, he thought while grinning, as always. Opening his suitcase mid-air, he scribbled something on a small piece of paper by using the poison on his claws as ink.

As he put the paper back into the suitcase, his gaze fell on the ground, at the snow white Mienshao that was approaching the camp, and that other ghost he had seen earlier, Loria. "Time to get going," he muttered, not sure of their intentions. But he didn't want them to interfere with his.

The Gengar landed unseen on top of the Keep, where the little Pikachu was laid on a luxurious feather bed. He placed his suitcase in front of him. Januario had one arm behind his head as pillow, the other one holding a glass of juice. A Light Ball was hanging as a necklace from his neck. He was taking a long sip when he noticed Pierce. "Pierce, fella, aren't you out there with the others? You know, getting killed." He laughed and almost choked on his juice, having to put it down and clutch his little belly.

Pierce simply smiled mildly. "It appears it's the other way around," he remarked, glancing at the forest. "Where's Sigmund? I hope he's not gonna pop up from the corner and surprise me with a list of ways he can send me back to the Purgatory."

The two laughed, although it was a bit of a strained laugh. When Januario was done, he waved his hand dismissively, sipping yet again on his peach juice. "No, he's busy disposing of some intruders."

"I wish him luck with that," the Cunning Shadow nodded, with his mild smile strangely unchanging, as if he didn't feel himself saying those words. "I'm here to make you an offer. You see the forest over there? Your caravans can't get past it, with the Brotherhood and all, and you lose a fortune each year using the conventional routes around the forest. The logical option here is to destroy the obstacle - which is, the Brotherhood, and I get that. Pride and honor are superstitions you have to put aside, if you want to be a successful businessman... we have agreed on this, yeah. But what if you were to... say, work with them?"

The Pikachu had left his juice down, his eyes half shut and was rubbing his furry yellow chin thoughtfully, scrutinizing Pierce. "Tell me more."

Pierce let his smile become wider. "The Brotherhood will allow passage to caravans bearing your seal through Duskwood. And there's a nice bonus - they'll let you harvest lumber in the southern section of the forest, closer to Skyhaven." The Cunning Shadow leaned in closer, having a confidential look. "Pardon me for the suggestion, but you can blackmail competitors into buying your seal to get through Duskwood, and you can use all the excess lumber to rebuilt Skyhaven's Fleet."

Januario jumped off his mattress, still rubbing his chin as he headed over to the edge of the Keep's roof, to view Duskwood. "Nice so far, what's the catch? It's easier to destroy the Brotherhood."

"No," Pierce waved his hands, "that will free the forest for everyone to get through and everyone to harvest lumber! You don't want that! I mean, I know I wouldn't, if I was the Trade Prince. But, if you were to simply, make the Crimson Company retreat..."

Januario turned to him. They grinned at each other as Pierce revealed the contract's papers from his suitcase.

Faolan

The two Mienshaos rolled in the dirt towards the Mistwatch Keep's small garden, two whirls of fur: one snow white, Faolan's, and a golden, dirtier one that was Alysanne's. Faolan quickly leaped away from her when his feet touched solid ground and he instantly balanced himself into his battle stance, his limbs at the ready. He could've killed her. When they were rolling, he could have hit her pressure point on her neck or blast her with an Aura Sphere... and she knew she could have done the same. They looked each other in the eye. Faolan's dark blue eyes were unreadable and overwhelming, while Alysanne's red ones had a seductive glow of submission that confounded him massively. He couldn't focus to analyze her normally like he did with his every opponent.

"Would you hit a girl?" Alysanne said, her hands on her hips, staring at him in a sassy manner as if she was judging him. Her movements were those of an able fighter with grace and beneath her fur he could see how many hours of exercise she had put into her body. I see why Januario keeps her close. Not only is she a courtesan, but a bodyguard as well.

"I do not discriminate genders or species," he finally stated, his voice solid. "I am me, you are you, and that's about it."

Seeing as that wouldn't get her anywhere, she changed tactics. "They call you Faolan the Wicked... hmm? You were a pit fighter, weren't you? Scored a few hundred flawless victories in a row, that's not so bad." She laughed, covering her snout with her hand and looking at him sideways, as if examining him. Faolan had the feeling she wasn't looking at him only as a fighter. "Should I be afraid?"
​

"I reckon you should, because you are in my way." He inhaled deeply, bulking up his chest. Truly, she was standing in the way between him and the Keep. If he was ever to meet Januario, he would have to step above her corpse... somehow, he didn't like that idea. Killing her would be such a waste, he found himself thinking, a second before his feet leaped off the ground in an acrobatic attack.

Alysanne was ready. She blocked his advance in a detect and swiftly swirled around, using her arm's fur as a whip, just like every Mienshao did. They engaged in a furious storm of fur whips for a few seconds, Faolan synchronizing his breath with his attacks and parries. He was lighter, faster, more experienced. He'd fought a Mienshao before, and he knew how to counter them. It was a recurring thought of his to counter her as they fought, but that would seem uncouth... he scolded himself for not doing it immediately.

Swirling his arm, his fur-whip closed around hers in a grip, jerking her towards him. Faolan slipped past her, kicking her foot with his right and as she staggered and fell, he turned around in a powerful but precise roundhouse kick that got her on her chest, launching her off the ground. If witnessed by a third, that move would deserve an applause - a move only a Fight Master could pull off.

Alysanne had landed on the ground, whipping up a small cloud of dust. Faolan gave her time to recover, as the code of honorable combat required him to do. She gasped, clutching her chest and trying to breath normally. Her fur was a mess and it was clear her pride had been hurt. Faolan almost felt bad. He thought she looked so weak and vulnerable for a moment and he should not have engaged in combat with her. Then he reminded himself that's what she deserved for trying to seduce him.

She slowly got up to her feet, her hands still holding her chest, where his kick had hit her.

"So, Faolan the Wicked does not like women," she said in a colder tone, all the playfulness from before gone. Her face was twisted in anger. Faolan exhaled through his nose, watching her with his overwhelming gaze.

"Did we not clarify that your gender has absolutely nothing to do with the situation at hand? ... The fact that I am a male may have misled you to believe that I desire intercourse with you, and as such, I may hold back, simply because you are attractive."

"Oh! So you do find me attractive."

"I never said such thing."

"You did."

"Listen. I did not come all the way here to engage in a petty and pointless argument. I am here to see Januario, and not kill him, I assure you. You will let me pass into the Keep unscathed, or I will have to kill you." Now that he was serious, she seemed to be getting the message. Just when she opened her mouth to answer, the wall next to her exploded and everything was covered in dust.

Faolan stood, unharmed, not knowing what to do. Somewhere in the rubble, Alysanne was buried. His morals conflicted here, not to mention his danger sense tingled. But he could feel her aura after a while - his eyes couldn't see her, but mentally, he could feel her, he knew where she was. He stepped into the cloud of dust and started digging out the rocks of the Keep; he eventually found her and lifted her off the ground, aware of his movements. She was knocked out by a hit in the head, some blood dripping down. Her sides were grazed as well, she might have had some ribs broken. Placing her away from the dust, he stepped away quickly, as if he was not sure he should have done that. She was the enemy, after all.

From the cloud of dust, he could understand another, darker aura, the aura of the ghost, headed towards him.

"So," Faolan said curtly, hoping Loria wouldn't notice Alysanne that was so conveniently placed away from the rubble, "it seems you have prevailed over Sigmund. I commend your strength. You have my respect and apology, for accounting you as a stereotypical ghost." No words of his indicated that he liked her, though.

 

[Garet]

Roscoe the Leech
Duskwood - Ambush
~~~~~

While Tsulong unleashed his fire upon the Cyalans, Roscoe disappeared back into the surrounding forest, jumping through the branches of trees until he found himself above a concentration of soldiers. Floating above the group was a Banette, firing Shadow Balls at the Brotherhood. It went down a second later as Roscoe leaped down and Night Slashed through it, landing on the back of a Rapidash. The Sceptile immediately leapt off to avoid more than a quick burn from the fiery mane, Draining some energy as he left.

Several Cyalans surrounded him as he touched ground, Roscoe Detected an incoming Fire Punch from a Medicham and turned his landing into a duck to avoid it. He came back up with a Leaf Blade in the Medicham's chin. At the same time, grabbing it with his other claw pushed the Medicham up and over into a toss that blocked two or three other attacks and knocked down the offending Pokemon. Roscoe hissed as a Mach Punch smashed into his back, letting the momentum carry him forward into a roll out of the circle.

Dashing away for a moment, Roscoe looked up and spotted an Alakazam curled up on the ground. On reflex, he jumped up and grabbed a low branch, swinging himself forward to land beside Reginard, who seemed out of it. "What're you doin'?" Roscoe hissed, throwing a Night Slash at an approaching Haunter. It was natural for him to protect an ally in combat; Reginard's earlier argument didn't factor into it.

 

[Sir Bastian]

*bulbagarden.net image removed*Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer & Guardian - Duskwood/Westfall

With a dash, Guardian went right through a stream of fire to bring his clenched fist on his attacker in a hammer arm that cracked the skull of whatever was under it. He stayed put, embers flying around his burning stony body; he wasn't made to feel pain, but he could feel his circuitry overheating. The Golurk kneeled, expecting more hits from his enemies, now that he was vulnerable; he was more afraid he would fail the heroes, rather than die. In fact, he'd already died, twice, but Durand had brought him back to life, using means Guardian wasn't familiar with. The hits he was expecting never came. Looking up, he only saw the Cyalans retreating. He also heard the raspy voice of Mantarys screaming despicable things at his soldiers, trying to keep them in line against the Brotherhood and the heroes.

Ever since Tsulong initiated the attack, followed by the Brotherhood charging into the ranks of the Cyalans and completely tearing them apart, Vincent had gone into the fray as well. At first, he helped the other water-types putting out the fires lit by the Cyalans, but as the army began to panic and focus on brute strength, as any group would under the command of Mantarys, Vincent unhooked his shells from their straps and dove into the ranks of the Cyalans.

His small size helped him to dodge most moves, and the ones he didn't dodge, he was able to deflect or block with his weaponry, making sure to keep himself mobile, delivering strikes, slices, cuts and gashes along flanks, across necks, backs, legs and arms.

As the Cyalans started retreating, Vincent finished a battle he was having with a Primeape, delivering a fatal slash across his chest, before leaping back, breathing slightly heavily from all of the jumping and dodging, watching the ranks as they began running away, followed by the Brotherhood, determined to finish off as many as they could, giving Vincent a brief overview of Westfall, the tents and the river, which had been, presumably, poisoned.

Guardian had noticed the Cyalans were retreating back to their camp in Westfall and found Vincent in the chaos of the pursuit the Brotherhood was giving. "This one suggests you get on his shoulder," he told the Dewott deeply, placing his finger on his small shoulder to prevent him from running after the Cyalans.

Vincent blinked a little in surprise at the sudden appearance of Guardian, glancing from the massive Pokémon, back at the ones retreating. He breathed in deeply and nodded. "Right. No point in prolonging the fight. Where are we going?" He glanced back up at him as the Dewott turned and with two quick jumps, lept up onto Guardian's shoulder.

The Golurk made sure Vincent was holding onto the spike of his shoulder safely, before inserting his hands into his arms, and his legs into his body with a rumbling sound. "Hold on tightly, Wanderer," he said. A second later, he blasted off the ground, extending his right fist to pierce the wind as he flew to the night sky like a rocket. He was flying at such a great speed that the treetops underneath him were all a dark green blur. "This one was unable to detect the Chronicler of Tales, for a teleport..."

Vincent winced as the two were flying through the air, his mouth covered up behind his scarf as he clinged tightly to the spike. He always hated flying, in the few instances where he'd been given a lift by a flying Pokémon... and in a couple other cases. He nodded lightly, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary below them. "I'm worried about him too. Hasn't seemed... right, lately."

"The Elder Durand believes there is a... problem, with the Chronicler of Tales. It cannot be solved through use of psychic powers... therefore, he concluded it is associated with a different kind of power." Guardian let out a grunt, suddenly, and lost height as he dove into the camp of Westfall. "This one hopes the heroes are alive and well. Wanderer, you and this one will land on the home of the Companions, to confront them as they return..."

As they landed in the middle of the camp, close to the tower of the Mistwatch Keep, nobody tried to stop them. The shouts and screams of the retreating Cyalans were getting closer and closer... in the night, Guardian could not see them very well, but there was a big black mass coming to them. They were many, more than a hundred... more than two hundred.

Vincent hopped off of his shoulder and gracefully landed on the ground, glancing around himself before looking up at the keep. "So, you think we can take on a couple hundred Cyalans on our own? Doesn't look like anyone else is here."

Guardian remained silent, with his gaze fixed at their foes.
​

 

[siiadams]

Jackson, the Dark Brawler - Ambush

Jackson finished his battle with a Cryogonal as it crumbled into dust, the flames still lingering from his Fire Punch attack. Soon, more soldiers were running away instead of attacking. "No fun! Too many people no longer wanna play..." he thought as he surveyed his area. In the distance, he saw a Sceptile he recognized as Roscoe being attacked nearby a seemingly-wounded Alakazam. They needed help and fast! Jackson smiled as he ran towards them.

Intercepting him, though, were two more soldiers: a Magmar and a Rapidash. As Jackson approached, both foes launched a double Fire Blast. He quickly used his speed to get around it, but part of the attack caught him in the arm. It hurt, but he was undeterred as he leapt forward, using a Thunder Punch on the Magmar to paralyze him. He narrowly avoided a Stomp attack from behind and hit his Sky Uppercut below the horse's chin. It took a little bit for Magmar to attack, launching a Smog attack at them. However, Jackson avoided the hit as he maneuvered Rapidash into the blow. The flaming horse soon slowed down from the poison in its body, while Magmar suffered from paralysis. Jackson moved in, knocking out Magmar with a Sky Uppercut. As the Rapidash tried to avenge his fallen comrade, he soon met with another Thunder Punch from the Dark Brawler, causing him to fall alongside the Magmar.

Another job well done, Jackson rushed over to where Roscoe and the Alakazam were, immediately turning to defend them all from whoever would be foolish enough to step up and attack. "What hapened to him?" he asked Roscoe, nodding to the Alakazam on the ground near them.


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[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

He was aware among the pain that someone was talking to him. Someone had asked him a question, but a now loud ringing in his ears prevented him from making out the exact words said. He gritted his teeth more and more as the pain felt more and more like a spear that was continuously piercing his brain, but then the pain stopped. The Alakazam realized that tears were starting to slowly make their way down his cheeks, so he quickly wiped them away and blinked his eyes quickly as he glanced around. The leech was here working to defend him and the Hitmonchan he had met earlier was here too.

Shakily the elder rose to his feet, letting out a few gasps, "I-I'm fine." He managed to stammer out. He quickly reached out to try and seal up the barrier yet again, but searing pain hit him hard. Whatever had happened to him had been enough to drain him of energy. "I... need time." He sat down on his rump and crossed his legs as he quickly tried to meditate. His mind still had a bit of stinging here and there, but thankfully he was able to do a bit to get some lost energy back.

What was happening to him? He was a hero... not some newly evolved Kadabra that barely knew how to use his new powers! Besides being a burden, it was also extremely embarrassing to the Alakazam.